Creating Successful Online Courses
Many products today rely on the power of gimmicks. But clients are getting more discerning, so if you want long-term success, work on quality. You can still use proven tricks of the trade. And if your product is excellent to begin with, your clients will allow the slick-sales shtick. So how do you create the kind of online course that will top download listings? Is there a way to build a loyal following so that learners or organizations keep coming back for more? Here are 7 insider secrets to create online courses that become big hits and major earners.
1. Identify Market Gaps In Your Online Course Strategy
If you review the market, you’ll soon spot the most popular topics. There’s a high demand for certain online training subjects, so playing in that area will guarantee sales. On the other hand, you’ll face massive competition and could easily get lost in the crowd. Try taking a different tack in your research and explore areas of dearth. If there’s few to no existing courses on a particular subject, it could mean two things. One, nobody has done it yet, so you’ll have lots of sales. Or two, nobody’s interested in that topic. Either way, it’s worth looking into. If you find a topic with low competition, test the waters through social media polls and surveys.
2. Craft Your Learning Outcomes
Most eLearning tutorials advise you to carefully create goals and online training objectives. This is helpful at the learner level. It’s useful for recall and for evaluating knowledge transfer. But in the marketing sphere, learner outcomes are a far more powerful tool. They’re a search engine goldmine. Put as much effort into them as you do into the online course. Think about it. L&D professionals in charge of purchasing online training courses are focused. They know exactly what they want to teach. Write your learning outcomes in confident, direct imperatives that speak to them. For example, "Learners will achieve compliance in two weeks" is a sellable learning outcome. "Employee training participants will know how to recite, analyze, and interpret compliance regulations" is a good, measurable online training objective, but it won’t sell quite as many courses.
3. Include JIT Resources In Your Online Courses
Arguably, the biggest selling point of any online course is brevity. Employees want short, flexible units they can carve into their busy day. On-demand online training resources are possibly the most favored criteria after analytics and automated reporting. Ensure your course has plenty and that they align with specific gaps. As part of your teaser pack or free trial, showcase your best eLearning infographics or how-to videos. If you display the right one, it could entice buyers to purchase.
4. Use The Algorithm
SEO experts spend hours every day trying to game algorithms on search engines and social networking sites. And algorithms are constantly upgraded and adjusted to flummox black hat SEO practitioners. The thing is no online business can succeed without some kind of SEO strategy. Just be sure to build yours around customer value, but craft it in a way that speaks to web crawlers. Do some careful crafting and thinking. You can generate online courses and promotional content that appeal to both consumers and search engine AI.
5. Focus On Engagement
When you dip your toe in social media marketing, you’ll find agencies that promise you millions of followers. Social media ads will guarantee thousands of likes, and they’ll deliver them too. It’s a novice mistake to race for "approval." Likes and follows are great, but engagement is what drives sales. So, in your course—and in your marketing material—push for interaction. Design online training content that nudges consumers to actively respond, whether it’s typing a question on a post or dragging a widget in the online course. Active involvement aids recall, creates rapport, lengthens interaction, and broadens opportunities for conversion.
6. Price It Right
It’s easier to set the cost of products with clear raw materials. You can take the expense of source items, compute time taken, and add a percentage for profit. Online courses are largely intellectual, from the skill of coding to expertly curated content. And that’s harder to calculate. But smart pricing isn’t always about your dollar value. It could mean discounting pre-orders to create a buzz or running flash sales. Once a few people try your online course and love it, many more will join in. So, have a sale once in a while but make sure your online course is worth buying. You’ll only sell online courses if the content offers them real-world value.
7. Get Users Involved From Day One
Many eLearning companies make the mistake of only soliciting input after they’ve completed the content. The trick is to create online courses armed with their insights. Get your target audience involved from the very beginning. Find out which topics and activities they’re looking for and which price point they’re aiming at. You should also gather their eLearning feedback as you create online courses to ensure you’re on the right path. For example, post sample activities or resources on social media to see what they think. Or offer sneak previews for those on your mailing list, under the condition they fill out a questionnaire.
They say "build it and they will come" but this is a really bad marketing strategy. If you want to position yourself as a best-seller, you need to be far more deliberate. What are some secrets to selling courses online? Do your research and pick the right topic. Write your learning outcomes in an enticing way and put in lots of JIT online training tools. Utilize (ethical) SEO techniques and push engagement over likes and hits. Finally, set the right price and offer discounts for pre-orders and former customers.
Want more secrets on how to create online courses and make them instant best-sellers? Our eBook Cost-Effective And Custom-Tailored: A Comprehensive Guide To Create Online Courses With Limited Resources features all the tips and tricks you need to find the right eLearning authoring tools and LMS platforms. You’ll even discover how to speed up the online course creation timeline and cater to your external partners.